News and discussion about NSW politics

Spill is on

I just got off a plane, waiting for my connecting flight, and decided to check the news.

What do you know, apparently a special caucus meeting has been called where it’s expected Nathan Rees will be challenged for the leadership by either Frank Sartor or Kristina Keneally.

It’s hard for me to keep updated on the situation from the airport, and when the meeting is on I’ll be on a plane, so consider this an open thread for information and discussion on the challenge.

A quick comment on the issue – If Labor knifes Rees, it’s probably the stupidest thing they could do and will consign them to defeat at the next election.
Update: The Right need to get their act together if they want to knock off Rees. At the moment, there’s still no consensus candidate with Keneally saying she won’t challenge Rees but if there’s a spill she will contest, and Sartor expected to challenge.

If they remain divided it’s possible that Rees can hold on, given he has pretty much all the Left votes and a handful of those on the Right.

Some Left MP’s have apparently stated that if Keneally becomes Premier they will defect from the party and sit on the crossbenches.

Update: Unconfirmed suggestions that Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt is being sounded out by MP’s and the party office.

Update: NSW Liberal leader Barry O’Farrell has called for a no confidence vote in the State Government. Silly move in my opinion. He should just shut up, sit down and watch the fireworks.

I hope the libs once elected change the constitution to legally require a snap election in the event of any change of premier. This will make strugling parties think twice before swapping premiers to gain popularity (not that it will work in this case)

No he can’t. What Ben says is correct. The only way an election can be called is if the LA passes a no confidence motion in the govt, then, as Lee says, the Governor is obliged to see if anyone else can form a govt that can gain the confidence of the house, which wouldn’t happen, and thus, an election would have to be called. What effectively has to happen is that Labor has to vote for a no confidence motion in itself. This did actually happen in Germany in 2005 when Gerhard Schroeder’s SPD voted no confidence in their own govt so they could go to an early election (didn’t work out so well for them either).

Good grief, I now live in the Premier’s seat…ugh, all the rubbish thats going to come through the letterbox now!! And next door to the Deputy in Maroubra! The Eastern Suburbs – power centre of the world (NOT).

Would make it dead boring, IMO. With what’s left of the Labor vote splitting three ways between the party, the Greens, and Pearce personally, the Liberals would be just about guaranteed to win the seat under OPV.

Nothing became Rees in his premiership like the leaving of it. He was bold, passionate, even articulate; he stood up for values of good government and the public interest, and he acquitted himself admirably. He didn’t lead a good government but he was a good man and even, to some extent, a good premier, saddled by factors beyond his control.

Like, for example, Joe Tripodi, and Eddie Obeid, and all their ilk, the worst political cabal to run this state since the Rum Rebellion.

I’m a Labor voter. I’m even to the left of the party on most issues. The Liberals do not like me and will not govern based on what I want. And I don’t care. This party has – to – go. For the good of the Labor Party, in this state and federally, and because if it is not SEVERELY punished for being so utterly useless at running the state and itself then it will never learn.

If we’re to be faithful to the party we have to let it know when it does wrong, and we have no instrument left but our votes.

Kristina Keneally sold her political future for 15 months at the top. She sold out the cause of good, transparent, and public-spirited government for a mess of pottage. I don’t care what you think on social issues or infrastructure or s forth: this is a bad government and it doesn’t deserve to be re-elected, and hence must be defeated.

What on earth is it with the ALP? Local media reports the Labor Mayor of Lismore, Jenny Dowell, saying she’s ‘elated’ at Keneally becoming Premier – and she’s from the Left. How can any sane person be elated at what they are doing?